I was listening to a HVMN podcast with low carb nutritionist Amy Berger.

She was discussing some Alzheimer's drug trials, both with drugs and coconut oil. None of the drugs, which were designed to eliminate the amyloid plaques worked to reduce the cognitive problems. They shrank the amyloid plaques, but had no effect on Alzheimer symptoms.

So, they are planning to abandon their drugs, none of which work.

On the other hand, the coconut oil worked well, for some. And they dropped that one, too, because it didn't help ALL of the test subjects. Obviously they only want to figure out what coconut oil does, make a drug to approximate it, and charge people billions of dollars.

It was Dr. Mary Newport who treated her husband with coconut oil and other methods to improve his cognition and increase his lifespan and life quality for a period of time. Brave woman who was not going to sit on the sidelines while research frittered with ineffective protocols.

The EARLY Alzheimer's Trial which I was going into was closed down because the drug caused liver damage, like all the other AD drugs. As far as I've read, CO does not cause damage to the human body.

We wouldn't have any Pacific Islanders if that were the case. One of Taubes' books tells the story of an island whose Indigenous Peoples became connected with the mainland via a weekly steamer. Which brought the Westernized diet, and they started having health problems.

The steamer wrecked or broke down and didn't come back for a long time. So everyone started eating fish and coconut, as they always had.

And they all got well again.

I went to Maui a couple of years ago and found that they have an obesity epidemic because of huge sugar consumption. It dates back to the sugar growing days. Most of the people there are decedents of immigrants. A lot of thought there is that the obesity was due to the consumption of Spam which was brought over during WWII. They have it there in at least 20+ different flavors. They even use it to pair with rice and make sushi with it. They use it in everything.

President Obama, who grew up in Hawaii, confessed a fondness for Spam. I have not indulged, but it does look like exactly the kind of thing a kid would love, and would keep their fondness.

But checking the nutrition stats on it:

Ingredients
Pork with Ham, Salt, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 oz (56g); Servings: 6

Calories: 180 ; Total Fat: 16g (24.62); Saturated Fat: 6g (30); Cholesterol: 40mg (13.33); Sodium: 790mg (32.92); Total Carbohydrates: 1g (0.33); Dietary Fiber: 0g ; Sugars: 0g ; Protein: 7g

It can't be blamed for an obesity epidemic.

Actually, while Europeans have some resistance to high carb conditions, with centuries of grain eating in their past, few Indigenous Peoples anywhere do. There was no pressure to select for this adaptation, so they never got it.

For that matter, I think I'm doing so well with my very low carb levels because my background is either non-agricultural people, or those far north with short growing seasons. So I'm not worried low carb is going to kill me! I'm kicking myself because I didn't keep cutting those carb levels

The solders during the war needed protein and since everything has to be imported except for a few locally grown/raised foods, for the most part, they needed a steady protein supply and Spam, solved that.
I looked at a few cookbooks in shops and definitely sugar is a food staple there, so that's the root of their obesity in reality, not the spam alone. The whole island use to be a sugar plantation. One museum dedicated to the sugar cane industry gave a nice history of the people and where they came from originally, from many different places.
One thing in common is that once they got there, sugar became a big part of the diet. There were no stores like now with all of the chain stores. Sam's is even there as well as Cosco if I remember correctly but back them it was very rural so I guess they ate what they had. Sugar

The ingredient list is interesting. Not far from what bacon is in carbs with the exception of the potato starch but still not too bad for a low carber.

you the boss

MsA - I can only speak about my personal n=1, but I eat all kinds of beef, and when I find good quality meat available at a reasonable price, I buy it. It could be grass fed or NY Steak or Ribeyes from Costco, Wegmans or Whole Foods. It doesn't matter to me, as my health improvements have me off all medications with no symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome. Yes, I had them before, and now I don't. I'm not going to quibble with how the meat I consume has been raised. I have stopped being concerned about such details and more focused on my personal results, and they've been good with how I've been eating.

I used to make kefir with whole A2 milk, and realized that even after the fermenting, I was probably consuming too many carbs for my liking. I've tried A2 heavy cream in my coffee, and it's fine, but I'm not sure it's worth the price. I rarely consume dairy nowadays, but I don't think it's unhealthy for those who do. Everyone is different, so I stick with what works for me and keep it incredibly simple. It's the easiest and healthiest way for me to live.

My earlier post was a semi-rant about those with no factual basis who try to force their health habits on others thinking that if everyone ate the same way, the world would be a healthier place. This idea, after the food pyramid, myplate, and dietary guidelines that have failed miserably, is appalling. To have the audacity to think some should dictate what and how all the others eat is ego out of control. To me, I'll always stick with the freedom to choose, and I want those choices to be available and not threatened in any way.

There are a number of intertwined issues here. There is the issue of health which can be further subdivided into the health of the individual, the health of the animal and the health of the planet. Then there is the issue of ethics, how should we be treating the animals that provide us with food to eat and the earth on which we all reside? And there is also a political issue, what role should government be playing in determining the way our foods is raised and what we should be eating or not eating, that is the question of what is legitimate political intervention?

Yes, well stated, and these intertwined issues are often a lightning rod in reaching healthy practices, policy, and roles groups and organizations should play in all this. The sensitivity required to understand what healthy eating is and that all do not have available healthy foods nor the economic means to afford certain types of healthy food is a serious underlying issue. Due to the diversity of dietary practices, the fact that not one WOE results in the same health outcomes for all, and the moral issues that are real, the difficulty in assembling a healthy eating approach for the world's people, which is what some are attempting to do, is massive. The health issues observed related to animal consumption is similar to that of plant consumption with chemical treatment present in most cases. Yes, we need an ethical, fact-based policy, the difficulty is getting there. What we can't afford at this time are blatant biases distorting the claims of healthy or unhealthy food types to prop up the argument that one WOE is preferred to another.

Don't forget Good Looking also Blue! Never short change yourself

[I]Scientists and dieticians are starting to agree on a recipe for a long, healthy life. It's not sexy, and it doesn't involve fancy pills or pricey diet potions.

Fill your plate with plants. Include vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and legumes. Don't include a lot of meat, milk, or highly processed foods that a gardener or farmer wouldn't recognize.

Where is the science to back this up? Answer there is none. PETA and other nuts make this crap up.

I used to eat that way. Helped me get fat.